After a few moments, I wondered if they were playing me. But then a light purple mist appeared from Tap's mouth.
I stumbled back, knocking over my stool.
Soleil widened her mouth and the mist swirled in a circular pattern until it entered her mouth.
I stared back and forth between them, never having seen anything like that.
Tap seemed okay. He wasn't resisting in any way.
She let go of his face and closed her mouth, breaking the flow of the swirls. The remaining purple mist returned to Tap's mouth. Her wings disappeared into her back, leaving her shirt torn and bloody.
His eyes flew open. Peace and relaxation flooded his expression.
Soleil's eyes remained closed for a minute. She opened them and leaned back, staring toward the ceiling.
I arched a brow at Tap. He took a deep breath, but didn't respond.
"What was that?" I asked.
Her mouth curved upward. "Like I said, drinking his essence."
"Did it hurt?"
Tap smiled. "Heavens, no."
Soleil giggled. "It's pleasant on both sides—unless of course it turns into a kiss of death. Then it's only fun for me."
"What exactly does that do?"
She leaned on her palm again and studied Tap. "So, a trickster has been giving you issues?"
He blinked a few times and moved to mix a drink. "You tell us, essence-drinker."
"You think he came from the south somewhere. He's been playing pranks on your customers."
Tap nodded. "Shaved a young wraith bald as she ate appetizers over there a few days ago." He nodded toward a table in the middle of the room. "All her hair was gone before anyone noticed—even her."
"This is all interesting," I said, "but what does it have to do with Victoria and me?"
Soleil sat up straight. "Oh, pretty name. Not one you hear much anymore."
"It was pretty common when we were young." I sighed. "How do you think sucking her soul is going to help us?"
The valkyrie scowled. "Drinking her essence. It's an entirely different thing. I can see into her thoughts and experiences. If she can't remember you, I might be the only way to find out what's behind that. You two were in love?"
My heart constricted. "Madly."
She frowned and tilted her head. "Tell Soleil everything."
"Can't you just suck—drink—my essence to find out?"
"I could, but I like to hear people tell their stories."
"She does." Tap disappeared with another tray of drinks.
"So, what happened, wolfy?"
"My name's Tobias, but everyone calls me Toby."
"Ah, Tobias. Another one that's been left by the wayside. Tell Auntie Soleil your troubles." She twirled a blonde strand around her finger and stared intently at me with her dark green eyes. Her gaze seemed to bore into my soul—it probably did, given her nature.
I squirmed, finished off my drink, and then returned the stiff stare. "We grew up in rival packs, but we were always drawn to each other. As we grew older, we'd sneak off together whenever we could. We'd planned to run away and start our own pack… but that didn't work so well."
"Meaning?"
"She died in my arms." I looked away and cleared my throat before the quirky blonde angel of death could see my eyes misting.
"Aw, that's horribly tragic." Soleil sighed dramatically. "And now she's back to life, and can't remember anything? Or just you?"
I shrugged and swirled the ice in my otherwise empty glass.
"Leave it to me to figure out the missing pieces to your puzzle."
"Why do you care?"
"Why wouldn't I?" she countered.
"Don't you have better things to do than to play matchmaker for werewolves?" I asked.
"Not really. I'm taking a break from my mission."
I turned to her. "What do you mean?"
She blew air up, making her bangs bounce around. "I'm searching for a vindictive dictator who doesn't wish to be found. My superiors won't be surprised if I'm here on earth for a few decades. Gives me some time to play and have fun."
"Oh."
"Anything else I should know about the beautiful young werewolf?" She took a sip of her drink.
"Victoria didn't shift on the full moon."
Soleil choked and put her glass down. "How's that possible? I thought the moon forced you guys to change."
I frowned. "It does. There's no way around it—or at least there isn't supposed to be."
She cleared her throat. "I'm certainly no expert on other species, but I thought it was totally impossible to avoid the full moon."
"Me, too—and I once was alpha over a great many packs. If someone had figured out a way to avoid the curse of the moon, I'd have heard about it."
Soleil took a deep breath. "Now I really want to drink her essence."
"How are you going to do that? Just walk up and offer a kiss?"
She laughed. "Good one. No, I've been around a great many millennia, and I've picked up a trick or two in that time. You got a picture? Location?"
I pulled out my wallet and showed her my favorite picture of Victoria.
"What a beauty. Where's she staying?"
"Not sure, exactly. She's a student at the university, though. Somehow, she ended up in my statistics class."
"You're a student, too? Are you following her?"
"I'm a professor."
"Sexy."
"So, do you want something in exchange for your essence-sucking?"
"Drinking," she corrected. "And no, that's plenty payment." She licked her lips. "There isn't anything tastier or more fulfilling than the essence of a supernatural."
"Aside from taking the entire soul." Tap returned to his place behind the bar.
"Clearly." Soleil finished off her drink. "Well, I'm going to make like a baby and head out. I'm dying to know what's keeping a werewolf from shifting at the full moon."
"Wait," I said.
She turned to me, brows arched.
My teeth gritted. I didn't want to say what I needed to.
"Yes?" Soleil asked.
"You might find her with the jaguar shifters. They have a—"
"Club. I'm quite familiar with it. Let me tell you what I know."
Chapter 12
Victoria
Carter looked at me from behind his laptop. "How's it going?"
I groaned. "Massaro's a jerk."
The server came by. "Would you like more appetizers, or are you ready for dinner?"
"Could I just get some more sparkling cider?" I asked.
He nodded and turned to Carter. "Master Jag?"
"I wouldn't mind some crab cakes."
"Coming right up." He disappeared.
"How's the essay coming along?" Carter asked.
"Great, but no matter what I do, I can't get it to exactly three thousand words. First I had two-thousand-ninety-six, then three-thousand-fifteen. Now I'm eight words under. Why does the word count matter so much?"
"Because he likes to make people miserable."
"Mission accomplished," I muttered.
"Want me to have a look?"
I shrugged. "You have yours to worry about."
"It's done. Scoot over." Carter came around to my side of the booth and sat next to me, pressing his side against mine. He angled my laptop toward him and read under his breath. "That's really good. You said you're eight words short?"
"Yep."
He scanned the screen. "Oh, we can beef up this one with some extra words." He typed. "Perfect. What do you think?"
I read it over and looked down at the word count. Exactly three thousand words. "You're a lifesaver."
Carter put his arm around my shoulders. "Nah. You did all the hard work, and I was serious about it being great. Did you have really good grades in high school?"
Tears blurred my vision. If only I knew.
"What's the matter?" he exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
My nose grew warm and my lips tremble
d. "It's been the crappiest day, that's all."
He squeezed my shoulders. "I hope I helped somewhat."
I blinked and a tear fell to my face. "You did."
"Do you want to talk about it?" He ran his fingers through my hair.
Did I dare? It would be so nice to tell him everything. Maybe he could even help—he certainly had the resources. Another tear escaped and ran down my face.
Carter brushed his finger under my eyes and held my gaze. "You can tell me anything. I could never judge you."
Another tear escaped. He leaned closer and kissed it. Then he trailed kisses down to the edge of my mouth.
My heart beat out of control. There was no way he couldn't feel that—knowing how nervous I was. He brushed his lips against mine and cupped my chin.
All my worries seemed to melt away into the background. He continued to kiss me gently, sweetly. I relaxed and kissed him back, wanting to forget about everything else in my life. I just wanted to melt into him.
Someone cleared his throat on the other side of Carter. "Your crab cakes and cider."
Carter let go of my chin and waved at the server without pulling himself away from my lips.
"Master Jag, your father has arrived with Shu Hwang."
Carter groaned and then pulled away from me. "Thank you. If he asks about me, tell him I'll find him in a while."
The server bowed and walked away.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, still recovering from the kiss.
He nodded. "Just one of Father's overseas business associates. He likes me to sit in on the meetings so I'll know what to do when my time comes. He can't wait for me to become his partner so he can shove stuff like that in my lap, but I don't want to burden you with that. You were about to tell me what's weighing you down." He gazed into my eyes.
I took a deep breath. "It's going to sound crazy."
Carter kissed my nose. "Never."
"You don't know what I'm dealing with, though."
"Try me."
I opened my mouth, but nothing came. It was too insane to say out loud.
He ran the back of his fingers along my cheeks. "I promise, you can't tell me anything crazier than I've already heard."
"What do you mean?"
"You'd never believe some of the things I hear around here. The Jag is home to a great many wild secrets."
My mouth went dry, so I grabbed my sparkling cider and emptied the glass. "I can't remember anything," I spit out.
His brows came together. "What do you mean?"
"I have no memories before arriving here on the Peninsula." I blinked away more tears. "Somehow I drove here in my packed Jaguar, all set for college life."
He rubbed his stubble. "So, you're saying you don't know who your family is?"
I shook my head.
"You don't remember going to school? Sports?"
"No," I whispered, fighting back a sob.
"And nobody's tried contacting you? You can't find them online?"
I leaned my head against his shoulder. "My phone and laptop were practically on factory settings." Minus the jaguar images. "And I don't know who's controlling my money, but they've cut off access. The banks won't tell me who he—or she—is."
"Wait." He leaned back and looked at me. "You have no money?"
My cheeks warmed. "Ten dollars in my purse."
He swore. "None of your cards work?"
"Nope."
"Are you kidding me?"
I studied him. "What's wrong?"
"You've been left high and dry. What about your bills—tuition, car? Rent?"
"I don't know."
"I can't believe this!"
"There's not much I can do. I don't know who to talk to."
His face contorted. "I can't believe this."
"You already said that. I think I'm going to have to find a job. It's obvious I can't rely on my family, or whoever has been funding all my stuff."
"No, you're not finding anything. You can work here."
"Here?" I exclaimed. "Doing what?"
"Whatever you want. Serving food. Overseeing the servers. Setting up the dance hall. Anything that sounds good."
My mouth gaped.
"We pay top dollar and provide the best benefits you'll find. If you work afternoons, you'll even have time to get some of your studying in."
"But—"
"Nothing. You need work. I'm here all the time. It'll give me an excuse to see you." His expression softened and he brushed his lips across mine. "Give me a minute. I need to speak with my father. Stay here."
I nodded, too shocked to respond. Not only did he not question my sanity, but he wanted to help—by getting me a job at the Jag? My head spun.
A tall blonde with intense green eyes stopped at the table. "Are you Victoria?"
I studied her. "Do I know you?"
"No, but I've seen you around here a lot lately. Carter seems to have taken to you." She sat across from me.
"You know Carter?" I asked, feeling a twinge of jealousy. She was gorgeous.
She held out a hand across the table. "I'm Soleil."
I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Where are you from?"
My emotions were too raw. "Around."
"Yeah, me, too. Don't you just love the Jag?" She glanced up at the fancy overhead light, just above our heads. "They put so much detail into everything. I'll bet even the custodian's closet is pretty."
"Maybe."
"What did you do before moving here?"
"I went to high school."
Her forehead wrinkled. "Really?"
"What else? I'm here for college."
Soleil's mouth formed a straight line as she studied me. "You seem more mature than the average freshman."
I shrugged. "Maybe I've been through more than them."
"Oh, that sounds interesting. I bet you have some great stories to share."
"Not really." I leaned over and glanced down the restaurant, hoping to see Carter. He was nowhere in sight.
"Carter's talking with his dad and some old but handsome Asian guy."
"So, you come here often?" I made myself comfortable.
"More lately. How do you like your classes? Got anything interesting?"
I stared at her. Why was she taking such an interest in me? Because I was spending time with Carter? Everyone at the club treated the Jags like they were royalty.
"Have you seen that new math instructor?" Soleil fanned herself. "Think he has a girlfriend?"
"How would I know?"
She glanced around and then leaned over the table. "Mind if I ask you something personal?"
"Go ahead." It wasn't likely I'd be able to answer. Then maybe she'd get bored with me and find someone more interesting.
Soleil curled her finger, indicating for me to lean toward her.
I did.
She opened her mouth, but didn't speak. Something from deep within me pulled up through my throat. It was smooth, like silk, and glided up through my mouth and out. My eyes shut on their own, and a warm tingle ran through my body, massaging my every fiber. A slight breeze fanned my skin. The pulling sensation continued and the tingle grew warmer. My body went limp, and suddenly, my problems didn't seem to matter anymore.
Everything stopped. My back straightened and my eyes opened. I blinked several times and fought to find my voice. "What… what was that?"
Soleil looked deep in thought and confused. "Interesting."
"What?"
"I've never seen anything like that."
"Like what? What did you do?"
She glanced to the side. "Looks like Carter's about to head back. It was so nice to meet you, Victoria. We'll speak again soon, okay?"
"Um, sure."
Soleil smiled, her eyes seeming even greener than before. Almost unnaturally green.
Without a word, she slid from the booth and hurried away.
I leaned back against the seat, trying to figure out what had just happened. A slight
tingle remained from our interaction—whatever that had been. I wanted more.
Carter appeared and slid next to me again. "Sorry that took so long. I hope you don't mind, I ordered us some dinner. No sense in you worrying about that. If you need to get home, I can have them box it up for you."
I scooted closer to him and leaned my head against his chest. "I'm happy here."
He put his arm around me. "I'm glad to hear it." He kissed the top of my head. "By the way, Father said you can either work as a manager in the dance hall or help in the spa. Apparently, they're short-staffed."
"Spa?" I exclaimed.
Carter laughed. "I always forget we have one. The last thing on my mind is getting a pedicure."
"Really?" I teased. "I pictured you with a mud mask, cucumbers on your eyes, and someone shaping your nails."
"I wouldn't mind seeing you get pampered like that. In fact, how does that sound after dinner?"
My mouth dropped open. "I couldn't…"
"Couldn't say no? Perfect. Besides, it'll give you a chance to see what it's like in there. You can decide if you'd rather work there or in the dance hall."
One corner of my mouth twitched. "Well, I don't see how I can say no when you put it that way."
The server arrived with two steaming plates of food. I pushed my laptop to the other side of the table, and he set the plates in front of us. The one in front of me was lobster and the one Carter had was a fancy steak.
"Anything else?" asked the server.
"A bottle of our best white wine," Carter said. "Oh, and red, too."
"Coming right up." He bowed and left.
Carter removed his arm from me and scooted over. "If you'd prefer the steak, you can have it. I'm fine either way."
I studied the two plates. "Lobster sounds wonderful."
We dug in, and I was glad to have a distraction from all my problems. Plus, relaxation lingered from my interaction with Soleil and also Carter's kiss earlier.
"Father wants me to return to his meeting with Mr. Hwang, so feel free to take all the time you want in the spa. Get a full body massage if you want."
"So, if I work there, I can get pampered anytime I want?"
Carter chuckled. "You can, anyway."
We ate our dinner and then packed up our laptops.
"I'll show you to the spa," he said and took my backpack from me, "but then I have to return to business. Feel free to interrupt me when you're done—please do, actually. Those meetings tend to bore me to tears."
Lost Wolf (Curse of the Moon Book 1) Page 8